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The Boeing 377 Stratocruiser was the airliner version of the 367 Boeing Stratofreighter , which in turn was the transport version of B-50 Superfortress . It first flew on July 8 , 1947 . Despite serious design flaws and a marginal service record {Link without Title} , the Stratocruiser was one of the great post-war propeller airliners. Extremely complex and expensive, only 56 were built. It continued in mainline service until 1960, by when it had been made obsolete by the coming of the 707 and other first generation jetliners. The 377 was the flagship of the Pan Am fleet until the arrival of the 707. Its spiral staircase, which led to a lower-deck lounge, inspired the one on the 747 . It was the only airliner with a double-decker seating arrangement until the 747, however some airlines had lower-level lounges on their L-1011 Tristar aircraft. OPERATED BY
(Order by Scandinavian Airlines System canceled. Planes went to BOAC.) SPECIFICATIONS General characteristics
Performance
SAFETY RECORD This aircraft type suffered 13 hull-loss accidents between 1951 and 1970 with a total of 140 fatalities. The worst single accident occurred on April 29 , 1952 when "the separation of the no.2 engine and propeller from the aircraft" caused Pan American World Airways Flight 202 to crash in the jungle near Carolina, Brazil killing all forty-one passengers and nine crew. AERO SPACELINES/GUPPYS In the 1960s, Aero Spacelines modified several Stratocruisers to make oversized transports dubbed "Guppys". The first of these was the Pregnant Guppy , followed by the Super Guppy , and finally the Mini Guppy . They are described separately. REFERENCE
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